


A cup of matcha.

by onthepayload



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28837686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onthepayload/pseuds/onthepayload
Summary: Their meeting, like a cup of matcha, bitter with a sweet aftertaste.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)





	A cup of matcha.

**Author's Note:**

> Tora and Ais's first meeting >: ) Wrote a majority of this at the crack of dawn and no beta, just a mess of brainworms.

Where darkness was celebrated and light was feared. Where ‘heroes’ don’t necessarily meet their happy end. Returning from The First to The Source after an other-worldly journey felt like a sigh of relief for Tora, but at the same time Norvrandt clings onto the back of his mind like a fever dream; The place, while hauntingly beautiful, still had a lot of mysteries left untold. In comparison, nothing’s more comfortable than home.

Tora has returned to Kugane. Wafts of the salty sea welcome him into her embrace, his turquoise hair tickled by the wind upon arrival. Tora aims to dedicate his limited time in the far east to rebuild the Doman Enclave through regular visits, and he’s thrilled to be involved in reviving a part of his history. His parents often look into a distant past when talking about their once-colonized home, it’s only fitting for Tora to contribute what he can in hopes of one day bringing his family to a ‘new’ Doma.

The Raen usually makes his visits to Kugane quick, duty calls and all, sometimes not even reaching up to a day - Of course not counting the times when he first came with the Scions, for work. This time, things were a little different. It’s been a groundbreaking three days, no calls from Tataru, and it felt almost purposeful. Tora didn’t want to stretch his prayers thin, but he thanks Aze every time he gets to enjoy his time in the far east.

When not in Doma, Tora spends his free time bringing Anzu around. She has gotten more resourceful in getting around the city by herself, but having Tora there was just more convenient, and fun. The night he returned, Anzu was already pestering him for details of his latest journey - in this case to The First. “Are you pulling my leg right now? I’m not ten nii-san.”, She first scoffed, but soon realized after thorough details that Tora was telling the truth. 

To be fair, getting teleported to an alternate universe does seem a bit far-fetched, and a passing dream. Tora finds himself in a daze as events replayed in his head, and thinks nothing can surprise him any longer after being hurled into these odd circumstances. The increasing volume of cheerful bustle brought him back to the present as his feet automatically knew the way to Kogane Dori. Tora blinks and jogs his memory on what he was here for, not to mention it was only a little past dawn.

Tora hits an epiphany and makes his move to the apothecary to pick up Anzu’s prescribed herb concoction. He found out she occasionally suffers from a stinging pain in her wrist as a side effect from her accident, only amplified because she’s now helping around with the family business. It’s her own volition, and not even their parents can disagree. Tora can only offer his utmost support while forcing a smile, knowing she wouldn’t have such disadvantages if it wasn’t for him. His mood was suddenly sour as he handed the prescription notes to the vendor, looking at the leaf-wrapped parcel in his hands in disappointment while dragging his feet to visit the hunting board in Shiokaze hostelry to grab some requests in preparation for his afternoon. 

The brooding Auri made haste to his next destination, not noticing an incoming figure from the corner of his eye. Surely fate had some things in store when he believes he can no longer be surprised, because this cliche turn of events was somewhat bewildering. The stranger bumps into Tora, spilling what seemed like a traditionally brewed cup of matcha on the sleeve of his ironed haori. The Raen is not one to lash out over a small mistake, or any mistake for that matter, but he sure was not having a good morning. 

“Oh, oh no, I’m so sorry!”, his apologetic voice rang, sounding rushed and frantic. Tora, who was first checking on his wet sleeve, heaved a sigh and mumbled a short ‘It’s alright’. He didn’t meet his eyes with the stranger - and when he did, his eyes widened.

_ Dark, ebony horns.  _

A Xaela stood before him, one hand holding a tomephone and the other holding a half-empty cup of matcha. Tora didn’t know they did takeaways, strange. He would ponder over that if not for the fact that there was a literal Xaela standing before him. He has never seen one in Kugane, but oh do the memories ring clear of the day he was careless at the borders of Azim Steppe. If any of his time spent in Eorzea counts as experience, this Xaela is identifiably not of the Steppe. Undeniably, Tora was still slightly shaken. 

The look on the Raen’s face was enough to send a clear message to the Xaela. Ariksar’s jaw tightened as he inwardly cursed at the careless mistake; Additional attention pointed his way was the least of his needs right now. The Xaela’s grip on his tomephone was starting to feel sweaty. “I apologize, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking,” He bows sincerely, a million thoughts running through his brain on how to handle the situation. Tora mused at the other’s accent and body language; he’s certainly not from the Steppe. Knowing that eases Tora a little, “Please let me make it up to you, I know a place that offers laundry services-” Ariksar tries to offer, but was stopped when Tora shook his head.

“I live nearby, and the stain isn’t as visible on dark clothing,” Tora gestured to his ink blue haori, “You needn’t worry about it, just be careful next time.” Ariksar’s eyes widened at the gentle refusal, completely expecting to be chewed out by the taller Auri - just like the previous cranky mender. Xaelas don’t exactly have the best reputation in the far east, they usually set their own boundaries and attack those who dare cross. As far as Ariksar’s concerned, Xaela tribes of the Steppe can smell his foreign ethics from a mile away, even when he tries to fit in.

“T-thank you, but I insist… It is a very well-made haori…” Ariksar trails off, feeling slightly awkward after making that fleeting praise to a stranger. Tora felt a smile tug at his lips; his parents were the ones who made it. For a moment, he was studying the Xaela’s face, meeting those rose quartz eyes that glint past milky white complexion and dark blue hair; although Tora caught himself getting mesmerized, he saw that the dark-horned Auri looked somewhat exhausted.

Tilting his head slightly at the sight of a bright green speck on Ariksar’s cheek, Tora wipes it off with his knuckle, getting a flinch from the other; Again, such a bewildering encounter. “Some matcha there. Anyway, you should get going. I’m pretty sure you’re busy, judging from the way you rushed into me.” Tora lightheartedly jokes as Ariksar jumps in his scales, sneaking a glance at the time on his tomephone and then back at the taller, expression laced in worry. 

“I’m so sorry again, I have some things to tend to. I hope to make it up in due time.” Ariksar bows before setting off. He turned back to look one last time at the Raen who now had a lighter lift on his feet.

The morning didn’t exactly go too badly for Tora.

-

Night time in Kugane was nothing short of a spectacle; Lanterns line the streets neatly, windows filled with life as the light and movement inside create dancing shadows. It was a bit chilly, with days moving into the Fifth Umbral Moon. Ariksar and his two other company members sat in the open air of Shiokaze holstelry, taking their sips of warm ale - it’s a balance only achieved in this transition between summer and autumn. 

After a long day of various duties, they returned to Kugane for a drinking session, contemplating whether they would make it back to Shirogane if everyone was equally piss drunk. “They had to ask for my age again! That’s very insulting…” TTK slams her pint of ale down on the table, standing on the stool with both hands on her hip. “I think they have to do it for all Lalafells in the Far East.” Faye shrugs nonchalantly, attempting to take another chug of their order and looks into the cup with furrowed eyebrows, “I ran out.” 

“That was quick, TTK and I still have half.” Ariksar shook his head, side-eyeing the pink-haired Lalafell that was slightly swaying in her stance. “Anyway Ais, you don’t usually mess up your spells, what’s in there?” Faye affectionately knocks on Ariksar’s head, making him look down sheepishly on his lap. “...Something happened this morning, and I’m still a little hung over my own stupidity.” His hands were now covering his face, elbows propped on the table.

“Well? Tell us!” TTK used both of her hands to shake Ariksar by his wrist and when he finally releases his face, the Lalafell hops over to sit on his lap, “I’m listening~” She sings while Faye motions to Ariksar to start. The latter gives a sigh of exasperation, he knows he can’t say no to his two close friends.

“So I met this really nice Raen…”

Faye sneers. TTK stifles a giggle.

“I spilled a drink on him-”

Faye smacks her forehead. TTK’s giggle now more audible.

“...He said I didn’t need to pay for anything and to get going since I was in a rush,” Ariksar lowered his head, forehead resting on TTK’s ribbon, “I wanted to at least do something nice for him, but I forgot to ask him for… anything really. I don’t even know his name.”

“Is he hot?” Faye always had a way to bully Ariksar, the question made him choke, “W- That’s not the point!” Ariksar was guilty of looking a little too intently over the glasses Tora wore earlier that day. TTK reaches out to grab her pint of ale to sip while the two go back and forth in friendly banter.

A pair of adventurers enter the hostelry, their voices reaching Ariksar’s ears with how close they’re sitting to the entrance. His jaw nearly dropped when he turned around at the sight of a familiar figure.

“Waha! That was quite a run we just had, eh? You had so many slip-ups, it was hilarious!” Nekoi jeered at the scoffing Auri, “That’s what friends are for isn’t it? To cover your mistakes.” The pink-haired Miqo’te rolled his eyes, pretending to take offence at how Tora just called him a cover-up, “Should’ve left you dead in a ditch when we were at Skalla.” They both burst out laughing at the fond memories, almost a nuisance if another group of old drunkards weren’t being the epitome of obnoxious.

Ariksar turns back to his friends who are both perceiving imaginary bullets of cold sweat running down his forehead and immediately got the message. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Faye pokes at Ariksar, “There’s your chance.” And Ariksar knows that it may very well be his last. His eyes hesitantly follows them to their seat - which just so happens to be diagonally across their table. 

TTK begrudgingly crawls off Ariksar’s lap and onto her own chair, downing her last gulps of ale, “Mmm~ Come on Ais! Show ‘em what cha got!” TTK laughs in between hiccups and swats the Xaela away in a tipsy flourish. Ariksar groans, the choices are clear: either he approaches alone or dragged by the feet. There was already a ruckus in all directions, Ariksar didn’t want to add more. He gingerly stood up from his stool, and turned around to approach the other.

“Oh! It’s you from this morning!” Immediately, Tora recognized him, and he could feel his cheeks turn hot, partially from remembering the incident. “H-hello! Yes!”, Ariksar dips his head politely, he could see the other Miqo’te looking at him curiously as well, “Oh! Tora is this the-” Tora shoots Nekoi a glance, the latter taken aback but chuckles, Ariksar tilts his head in bewilderment; must be an inner joke.

“I’m Ariksar Orl. I forgot to get your name earlier even though I promised to make up for the accident.” Tora laughs at his earnest attempt, humming at a thought, “Have a seat, you’ll have a round with us and call it even… If that’s okay with you?“ Ariksar blinks; Just a drink? Together? The proposal could lead to some awkward scenarios, though he wouldn’t completely reject it. After all, there is still some sort of monetary exchange instead of a cleaning fee. Ariksar peered behind to catch Faye’s eyes staring a hole into him as if saying, ‘Well? Get on with it?’ and TTK already flopped over the table like a pancake, sleeping soundly. 

“I’ll take up that offer, Mr…?” Tora’s eyes widened slightly, forgetting to exchange proper greetings with the other, “Sorry I completely forgot to introduce myself. Tora’s fine, I’m not that old. This dimwit here is Nekoi.” He chuckled light-heartedly, earning a slap from the Miqo’te on his arm, “Watch it before I Ruin you.” 

Ariksar barely settled into his new seat when Faye stood up and stretched, approaching Ariksar with TTK hauled over her shoulder like a sack of popotos, “Well, I just remembered I have something to do at home, so I’ll catch you later.” She yawns, clearly indicating that ‘something’ is leaving Ariksar on his own to panic while she catches some shut eye.

-

The round Ariksar ordered came, and maybe it was the alcohol but things didn’t feel awkward in the slightest as Tora broke their initial silence by bringing up the incident that morning. He wondered why Ariksar was in such a rush, though it wasn’t uncommon in a bustling city like Kugane. They then got to know of Ariksar’s responsibilities as a company leader, and how they moved to a company house in Shirogane. That morning’s round of errands was taking more time due to issues that Ariksar doesn’t wish to specify. In turn, Tora also shared about his past few days in Kugane and why he’s back home, leading into a topic of how he and Nekoi met when he first left Kugane. 

The atmosphere on the table was merry, approaching a little past midnight after refills and Ariksar was surprised that a few hours flew by faster than the speed of a racing Chocobo. Nekoi was already piss drunk and doing a series of vigorous dances in his seat before excusing himself to the bathroom; to be fair he ordered sake, and as Tora claimed, a lightweight. Ariksar was lucky he wasn’t taking their selection of harder liquors; knowing his own antics he’d rather not, memories of him being made fun of the next morning for whining like a kid in a candy store serves as a reminder. Luckily, the pint of ale sufficed in keeping him warm and loose.

Having only Tora and him on the table made a blush creep up his cheeks, Ariksar couldn’t stop darting glances between the Raen’s face and elsewhere while they talked. To subtly put it, he was pleasant to look at. Tora too remembers the first time he saw those alluring rose quartz eyes in the morning sun, but noticed that in Shiokaze’s warm light, they twinkle, making their movement even more apparent. He didn’t want to alarm the other by asking why he’s avoiding his gaze, but seeing Ariksar flustered was amusing, yet endearing. 

“I personally enjoy this time of the night, though usually much quiete-”

“-Hah! I wouldn’t want a Xaela in  _ my _ restaurant!” Loud and clear, a voice rang well above the rest, coming from the most obnoxious table filled with glass-clinking and table-slamming laughter. Ariksar flinched, an uncomfortable knot welling up in his stomach. 

_ Please, not now _ .

It was the table behind them. They were leaving, dragging stool legs against the floor, sending a threatening vibration up his calves which made Ariksar shudder. Usually he’d ignore these comments, but he’s now especially conscious because others around him will be dragged into the mud. Ariksar slowly went from staring down into his drink to peaking back up at Tora’s reaction to the comment, reserve staggering when it appears to have the same effect on him, but maybe more.

What they did was distasteful, it made Tora’s eye twitch although he’s trying his best to maintain his composure since Ariksar clearly does not want to start a scene. It made Tora question himself for a moment and whether his own prejudice would rear its ugly head if not for the coincidental meeting with Ariksar. These people who made baseless judgements towards the dark-horned Auri were clearly wasted and whipping up a ruckus. 

Tora wasn’t the only one glaring at them; The hostelry echoed in murmurs, evidently more towards the drunkards than a mere Xaela who has been peacefully drinking. They were shuffling towards the exit when a Hyur walked too close to Ariksar and purposely bumping into his arm on the way. The drink in his hand sloshed about, luckily there was too little left to spill. Ariksar clicked his tongue in frustration and looked away from the group, but it didn’t sit well with Tora. 

“With all due respect sir, you could have said excuse me.” 

Ariksar’s mouth gaped open, noticing the other put on a mocking grin, “Or maybe you’re the feral one without manners.” The Hyur’s expression was a sight: red from the alcohol, eyes wide open and eyebrows furrowed so close together that they might as well merge. 

“Y-you! You’re no better from that ‘friend’ of yours!” He raises his arm, Tora immediately towering over him when he stands up to stop the flailing limb. Ariksar too stands, reaching out to tap on the Raen’s shoulder while weakly mumbling a quick ‘It’s alright’. The group, startled by the way things proceeded, dragged the troublemaker away as well, though not without a few curses thrown at Tora and Ariksar’s way. The latter was numb to those insults, but they’re embarrassing to witness alongside someone you barely met, and to have Tora stand up for him not only made him feel like an inconvenience, but also weak. 

Ariksar would only resort to self-defense if the provocation started violent, a bump on the arm wasn’t worth reinforcing his title as a ‘violent’ Xaela. So he takes things in stride and sits through it like another passing day. The worst thing that could happen... thinking about it made him shudder. As if on cue, vivid memories of his bloodied state played, and Ariksar felt nauseous.

_ What did he ever do to deserve this? _

The brightness of Shiokaze is now uncomfortable for the night as he could sense countless eyes on him - he’d like to escape somewhere quick. “I-I’m going out for some air.” Ariksar hastily stumbles around and away from his seat. Having caught a glance of that forced smile, Tora clenched his fist and hesitantly followed behind as Ariksar slipped into the docks. 

-

Adjusting his irises to the dark took a bit of time, not to mention how the colours that don Ariksar seem to blend into the night. Tora catches a brooding silhouette by the edge of the boardwalk which was recognizably the Xaela, his approaching steps heavy because… Well, he’s not clear why. Did he perhaps meddle too much once again? Was his strong sense of justice a bother to others? 

...No. What happened was clearly wrong, but maybe he could’ve handled it with less spite. 

Tora straightened his thoughts before sitting down beside Ariksar on the planks. There was only silence, and it wasn’t a comfortable one at that with Tora’s increasingly rampant thoughts while Ariksar stares off into the endless void before him. Their only semblance of light was blanketed in a misty veil of clouds, creating a soft cast for their messy night in Kugane. The sound of waves was a nice change of pace from yells for orders, loud laughter and other bustle. 

It has only been a day of meeting each other, heck, a few hours, Tora’s not sure how appropriate it’d be to impose like this, but in those few hours he decided that Ariksar matters. “Ariksar, Why’d you stop me?” Tora questions, simple and straightforward, but little did he know that the truth felt like an essay stuck in the Xaela’s throat, “...I didn’t want you to do anything you might regret.”  _ because standing up for me might mean throwing your own reputation in Kugane under the bus, and you live here, and you have a family here. I’m not able to offer you anything other than trouble- _

Tora stifled a chuckle that was out of place for the moment, “I might be silly sometimes, but I’m old enough to think things through y’know?” The hyur who bumped into Ariksar is quite the infamous drunk and a regular at the hostelry, word gets around fast in the teahouses. Sooner or later, he’d be under the Shiokaze blacklist. Ariksar forces himself to smile, eyes darting between Tora and nothing. 

“Why didn’t you fight back, Ariksar?” 

Oh the countless amount of times Ariksar has repeated that very question to himself after picking up the blade. However, something like this wouldn’t require a full-blown fight, and he’d rather not blow up the situation bigger than it already is. It’s so hard. It’s so damn hard to validate whether he’s doing it right. Ariksar’s eyes sting, but he holds tears back; he didn’t want Tora seeing him like this. 

“I...I’m used to it. No matter where I go in Kugane, there will always be similar reactions..” 

Tora felt a pang of hurt in his chest from the exasperation and disappointment laced in those words, and he could sense the slight tremble in Ariksar’s voice. The Raen would never understand, and he wouldn’t want to invalidate the hurt Ariksar has felt from a place he calls home. The taller Auri inches closer to ruffle Ariksar’s hair, and the latter didn’t know he yearned for such a gentle touch until he caught himself leaning against it.

Tora huffs lightly, “I can assure you that you now have an additional familiar face to turn to in Kugane.” His offer being greeted with a good-natured scoff, hands wiping any evidence of tears that showed vulnerability. Ariksar finally turned to face the older, parts of his face noticeably rosy, “You can call me Ais, my friends call me that.” Tora's chest well up with emotion, unable to stop the cheeky grin that shows his felines. He gets up with a stretch before extending an arm out for Ariksar. 

“It’s late, let’s get you back to Shirogane, Ais.”


End file.
